The Indian film industry continues to grieve the loss of one of its most beloved icons, Dharmendra, who died on November 24. Tributes have poured in from fans and colleagues, marking the end of an extraordinary era. Now, Ameesha Patel has opened up about visiting the veteran actor in hospital earlier this month, reflecting on the tense and emotional atmosphere
Ameesha Patel recalls visiting Dharmendra in hospital
Ameesha, who shares a close friendship with the Deol family, couldn’t attend Dharmendra’s last rites as she was in New York. In an interview with News18, the actor said, “I haven’t reached out to the family yet. They’re under immense emotional pressure. I don’t want to trouble them because they have enough visitors and callers and it wouldn’t be fair. At this point, they don’t need to be giving condolences to others. They need their privacy to be able to grapple with the situation.”
When Dharmendra was admitted to the hospital earlier this month, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Ameesha Patel and Govinda visited him. Recalling what went on in the hospital, Ameesha said, “It was a very tense situation, and they needed to be left alone even at that time. He was in a very critical situation. Whether it was Shah Rukh, Salman or me, we were there briefly for ten minutes just to hug Sunny. It was a moment he couldn’t wrap his head around since it was about a person he loves the most.”
About Dharmendra’s death
Dharmendra was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital due to health issues. On November 10, reports of the actor’s death surfaced online, leaving fans worried. However, on the same day, Hema Malini and Esha Deol refuted it as ‘fake news’ and confirmed that the actor was recovering. The family then took the actor back home, where he was recovering. However, on Monday, November 24, the actor died at the age of 89 at his family home in Juhu.
Dharmendra is survived by his two wives, Prakash Kaur and Hema Malini, and six children, including Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Esha Deol. Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rajinikanth, Allu Arjun, Priyanka Chopra and others mourned the demise of Dharmendra on social media. The actor’s last film, Ikkis, is set to release on December 25. He is essaying the role of Agastya Nanda’s father in the movie directed by Sriram Raghavan. The film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat in a lead role.
